i read SOMEWHERE that the Coast Guard had selected a new rifle based on the M16/Ar15.  It is some kind of .41 caliber round that fits standard mags, as I recal.  Anyone have a link or info on this?  
My dream CQB weapon - .44 mag AR15??? lol!

[url]http://www.leitner-wise.com/products/499.htm[/url]

Hey man, if you want a .44 mag AR, you can have Tony make you one here: [url]www.tromix.com[/url]

There's no doubt the shipboard environment calls for something other than the .223, this sure doesn't seem to be the right answer in the long run.  Start adding salt spray and possibly icing conditions and I think the specs are on the tight and jamming side.  Trying to cram the max in a tiny package.

Why not go to an AR-10 based round, you've got a lot more room?

Is the idea to eventually rebuild existing weapons by replacing bolts and barrels only?   Or is at an attempt to return to the performance of .45 sub-guns?  

Search on 499 or L-W, etc......

Here's a start...:

[url=http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=118&t=158865&w=myTopicPop]Umpteenth L-W Thread[/url]

[url=http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=12&t=158682&w=myTopicPop]Umpteenth +1[/url]

[url=http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=118&t=159183&w=myTopicPop]Umpteenth +2[/url]

[sleep]

I was in the USCG from 1989 until 1991. I don't want to say anything bad about our beloved 5.56 but it was NEVER considered for CQB by myself or any of our other boarding officers. The reason was that we were regularly boarding commercial fishing vessels made of steel. Can you imagine what it would be like to fire off a round in a compartment with all steel walls about the size of a large walk in closet? We only went below with 870 express shotguns or M-9s (our crews carried sub-sonic 9mm ammo supplied by the local sherriff's dept). We pulled out our M-16A2s for a show of force when we were breaking up blockades of fishing boats protesting TEDS. Also we only had FMJ. With todays frangible bullets I would not hesitate to take a high velocity weapon below decks. And something with the accuracy of an AR type weapon and the knock down of a magnum sounds like a great idea to me. (As long as it is frangible and not going to richochet!)

One of their offered bullets is a frangible load.

The 458 SOCOM offers one as well, by Sinterfire, not sure about the Beowulf.

It amazes me the number of times we try to reinvent the wheel.  The round is called 45ACP.  Been around for about 100 years, is made by every major manufacturer and has yet to be bested for CQB.  Perhaps a 45ACP upper or simpler yet just haul out those tried and True M-3 grease guns and dress them up a bit.

The .499 LW is a mission specific weapon for the Coast Guard and is a good choice for its application...

Ouch!

I'd rather hammer something will close to 3000lbs of force then with whatever the 45ACP pumps out from a 16" barrel.

That is just [b]my[/b] preference.

The 45ACP 230gr is about less than half the 458 SOCOM's 500gr load.  Imagine getting hit with a 500gr projectile doing 800-1000fps.

Youch....oops that the 458 SOCOM not the Beowulf, oops 499LW....

They are all so close together....[;)]